The present invention relates to short term data storage devices, such as registers, and relates in particular to a register circuit which can be used in various components of a computer.
In a typical computer system, registers are used in many different locations to temporarily store data signals as such signals are transferred along data buses. In some locations, registers may have only a single input data bus and a single output data bus for transferring data into and out of the register. In other locations, registers may have three or more data input and output buses. In such instances, data going into the register from plural buses may be combined by logic gates prior to being stored in the register, or, the register may actually comprise plural registers with each register receiving data from and conveying data to a different data bus.
In the past, where the desired register circuits are constructed on a single integrated circuit chip, it has been common to design a different chip for each location in the computer system where a register must be connected in a particular or unique fashion to input and output buses. As a result, in some computer systems, it is necessary to design and construct as many as 100 or more different chip designs or "part types" having registers. When there are so many different part types in a computer system, the opportunity for a design or production error to occur is very great. This has led to considerable expense in the manufacture of computers.